Garden Tips: Identify common symptoms, problems in your pecan trees

Pecan trees can sometimes be subject to problems. Here are some symptoms and causes of common problems:

Yellow leaves on a young tree could mean it is getting too much or too little water.

Black spots on leaves indicate pecan scab disease.

Aphids on the tree can produce sticky sap or honey dew that drips from leaves.

Dull leaves with many small brown spots indicate spider mites are present.

Black spots on the pecan kernel are caused by stink bugs.

Spittle bugs leave a white web-like growth on the leaves.

Galls of growths on leaves are caused by pecan phylloxera.

Small white red-headed grubs found inside the pecan are weevils.

Small limbs that fall off in late summer or early fall are caused by the twig girdler.

Root rot is the cause of rapid tree death in late summer.

Back to health

Prune off low limbs that are dead, broken or seriously diseased. This should be done in the dormant season.

Control weeds around the tree.

Make sure the soil pH is correct, ranging from 6 to 6.5. Once the problem is identified and the cause is pinpointed, a good spray schedule and some good management practices can control pecan problems.

Renew strawberries

Strawberry plants have finished producing for the year. So its prime time to renovate or renew the bed for next year's production. If the bed is infested with weeds or insects, it is better to start fresh and set out new plants.

If not, renew a strawberry bed in this manner:

Mow off the leaves; rake them away from plants, and dispose of them.

Thin the plants, leaving only healthy ones. Plants should be about 6 inches apart.

Don't keep old strawberry plants in production too long. Start new beds after two or three years of production.

Strawberries should not be planted where potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant or peppers were planted in the past three years. They are susceptible to the same disease as these vegetables, and the diseases can hide in the soil. Also, strawberries should not be planted where grubs were a problem in your lawn.

Strawberries require full sun; they grow and produce best with a soil pH between 6 and 6.5. Best yields are produced when plants are grown in fertilized soil that has been amended with organic matter and has had good drainage. Strawberries benefit from being mulched with organic materials. Mulch conserves moisture in the soil and reduces weeds.

E-mail your questions to bleigh1@utk.edu. Include your name and area where you live. For more gardening information, call the Tipton County Extension office at 476- 0231 or the Shelby County Extension office at 752-1207. Booker T. Leigh is the Extension Director for Tipton County.